Linda Eddleman

Chief Executive Officer

Linda Eddleman is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Trust for the Americas. Under her leadership, the Trust expanded operations to 24 countries and created alliances with over 500 organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

From 2009 to 2010, Ms. Eddleman also served as Senior Advisor for the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS). She brings expertise in public-private partnerships, technology for development, competitiveness and economic opportunities. A recipient of the Medal of Honor of Distinguished Service from the Ministry of Defense of Colombia, Eddleman is a member of the Raven Society and the Council on Foreign Relations, and was recognized by the Washingtonian Magazine as one of the “100 People to Watch.”

A White House Fellow, Ms. Eddleman previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Economic Affairs at the Western Hemisphere Bureau of the US Department of State, Special Negotiator at the US Department of State, Senior Trade Policy Advisor at the US Department of the Treasury and Special Assistant to the US Trade Representative. Ms. Eddleman served as a Member of the Board of Directors of both the North American Development Bank as well as the Latin American Policy Initiative.

Ms. Eddleman graduated with honors from the University of Virginia and holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she served on the Law Review. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Barcelona, Spain. Ms. Eddleman has practiced law in Madrid, New York and Washington D.C. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Adrian Naranjo

Chief Operating Officer

Adrian joined the Trust for the Americas in January 2017. He has held various leadership positions in both private and non-profit organizations.

In 2001, he became Manager of Operations & Marketing for the Center for Community Educational Excellence at UnidosUS formerly known as the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S. At UnidosUS, Adrian helped established the Charter School Development Initiative, managing over $30 million to open and provide technical assistance to a nationwide network of 80 Hispanic-serving charter public schools, serving more than 20,000 students.

In 2008, drawing on his extensive background in business and his ongoing work with nonprofit organizations, Adrian formed Avanti – a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses with strategic planning solutions in the fields of marketing, operations and financial management.

In 2009, Adrian co-founded the Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) a 501(c)3 organization which addresses disparities in educational achievement and is committed to insuring quality services and choices to families and children in underserved communities.

From 2010 to 2016, Adrian was the Director of Operations for Avina Americas, an organization created to contribute to sustainable development in Latin America. At Avina Americas, he worked to drive impactful initiatives to increase sustainable development and economic and social opportunities in the Americas by ensuring alignment among organizational strategic priorities, business goals and financial objectives.

Marjorie Ucros

Financial Manager

Marjorie Ucros serves as the financial manager for the Trust funds. Her primary role is preparation and budget analysis and overall financial management, including account monitoring, audit supervision, liaise with OAS Administration, Federal Government grants and private donors contributions. She manages the financial aspects of multimillion dollar projects for the western hemisphere; international projects throughout Latin America, USA, Canada and the Caribbean. Prior to joining The Trust, Ms. Ucros was a financial analyst at the Finance department of the OAS. In addition, she served as a senior account executive in the private sector working with large banks, including United Bank of Switzerland, Citibank and Bank of America. She holds a dual degree in Business Administration and International Business Management from Florida International University. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

Maria Liliana Mor

Director of Programs

As the Director of Programs at The Trust for the Americas, oversees the implementation of citizen security, governance, and economic opportunity programs in 17 countries of the western hemisphere. In addition, Maria Liliana leads an institutional effort, to adapt and include gender and accessibility perspectives to all projects, as well as measuring the “girl effect” through monitoring and evaluation strategies. Maria Liliana is an International development specialist and has 13 years of experience in consulting and project management on international development. She has worked for the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan-America Health Organization and the World Bank and in the non-profit field. Her knowledge and experience in ICT for development focus on vulnerable communities, community-based development, humanitarian assistance and workforce development. (Colombia)

Maria Fernanda Sierra

Project Manager

Currently manages the implementation of the VIVE – Project, which seeks to increase the economic empowerment opportunities of 30,000 Mexican women, through training in retail and customer service skills.

Maria Fernanda holds a Master’s Degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and Chevening Scholar. She is also a Specialist in State, Public Policy and Development and Industrial Engineer from Los Andes University in Colombia. With more than 7 year experience in management and implementation of development projects in Latin America, in Colombia and Mexico. Worked as specialized professional for the planning bureau at Colombian Presidential Agency of International Cooperation (APC), where she advised projects for organizations such as the High Commissioner for Peace Office, the Colombian Institute for Childhood Welbeing (ICBF), UNICEF, International Organization for Migrations (IOM), the High Commissioner for Citizen Security and the National Ministry of Education – Colombia. (Colombia)

Rodrigo Iriani

Project Manager

Rodrigo focuses on the implementation of Democracy and Governance initiatives for the Trust. Mr. Iriani has more than 6 years of experience in social and economic development, including federal grants management. Over the last two years he gained experience working with local organizations, governments and cooperation agencies across Latin America and the Caribbean in areas related to good governance, innovation, citizen security and open government. Previously he has worked on social and economic development for vulnerable

populations in Argentina. Rodrigo earned a B.A. in Political Sciences from Buenos Aires University (UBA), and also holds a Master’s degree in Project Management from the Global School of Project Management. (Argentina)

Javier Monterroso

Project Officer

A United World College and Ruta Quetzal Alumnus, holds a B.A. in Government and a Minor in Economics from Colby College, ME. From Guatemala, Javier has supported the implementation and development of public policy initiatives, democracy assessments, monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and has carried out extensive research on migration channels and social/labor reintegration. Past experiences include the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, the Embassy of the Republic of Guatemala in France, INTERPEACE – United Nations International Peacebuilding Alliance, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), CLS Consulting, and is the founder of “The Migrant Peacebuilding Project.” Javier has lived in Guatemala, France, Hong Kong, and the USA. He is fluent in Spanish, English, and French. (Guatemala)

Mariana Oquendo

Operations Officer

Mariana has a background as a Political Scientist and International Relations specialist, she brings her experience from working as cultural and political affairs advisor for the Ambassadors of Egypt, Iraq and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in her hometown: Caracas, Venezuela. She has also worked in the private sector as a communications and public affairs officer at Statoil Venezuela. Mariana believes in teamwork and thrives in connecting people to help them reach their greater purposes. Mariana is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in the Public Relations and Corporate Communications program at Georgetown University. (Venezuela)

Alejandra Rojas Rodriguez

Financial Officer

Alejandra is an International banking and finance professional, born and raised in Cali, Colombia. Alejandra was awarded with the Erasmus Munde Scholarship to finish her studies in Madrid, Spain. She has focused her career in financial development for organizations and projects that can reciprocate in the society. Alejandra is passionate about music, traveling and getting to know different cultures and lifestyles. Alejandra is a hard-worker committed follows her dreams one day at a time. (Colombia)

Eduardo Villegas

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning Officer

Eduardo Villegas is a professional in the field of Ecology, has an environmental quality MSc. Eduardo has more than 13 years of work experience, specifically in restoration of urban and rural ecosystems and working closely with communities to find strategies for solving environmental and social issues. Great ability for team work and synergy. Eduardo has a plenty experience in collective work and identification of new opportunities for sustainability and territorial development. (Colombia)